In August 2017, INIA La Platina and CONAGRO launched in San Carlos (Chile) the training programme for farmers in the Varietal Supply Centre’s multiplier network, with workshops on soil management and producing traditional seeds through agroecological practices. A year later, the project’s progress poster shows how the model has spread: the training programme is running in three countries, 116 farmers have been trained, more than 50% of them women, and four multiplier networks have been formed, which have already reproduced 21 landrace varieties.

The 45 farmer multipliers together farm around 155 hectares, on holdings of 0.5 to 20 hectares, and a stock of seeds is already available for planting. In addition, 34 landrace tomato accessions were characterized morphologically, molecularly and for yield, the physical location of two centres was formalized, and a website was designed to promote the seeds of the varietal supply centres. As the team concludes, participatory work motivates farmers and keeps them engaged, and the differences between countries are an opportunity to share solutions.

🔗 News: #ProyectoFONTAGRO: Training for the farmer network of the Varietal Supply Centre for Traditional Seeds in Chile (in Spanish)
📄 Project poster 2018 (PDF, in Spanish)
🔗 Project page (in Spanish)